ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Thyroid disease is a well-established risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, only a handful of studies examined its impact on treatment. This study aims to report the prevalence rate of thyroid disease in patients with AF and to demonstrate the effect of thyroid disease on AF treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the Jordanian Atrial Fibrillation Study (JoFib). Among Jordan and Palestine, patients with AF were evaluated for their sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 2000 patients with AF (53.3% males, mean age 67.6 ± 13.1 years) were enrolled in the JoFib registry from May 2019 to November 2020. Thyroid disease was present in 210 (10.5%) patients. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were the most common comorbidities among patients with thyroid history (75.2%, 51.0%, and 45.7%, respectively). Diabetes mellitus (p = .04), pulmonary hypertension (p = .01), and chronic kidney disease (p = .01) were significantly higher in this particular subgroup. Patients with thyroid disease demonstrated significantly higher usage of anticoagulants (p = .02). CONCLUSION: Despite having similar stroke and bleeding risks, patients with thyroid disease demonstrated meaningful differences in their baseline characteristics. Prospective studies are required to assess the influence of thyroid hormone fluctuations on the progression of AF.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of pinhole dual-phase Tc-99m sestamibi vs combined Tc-99m sestamibi and Tc-99m pertechnetate scintigraphy in patients with hyperparathyroidism where single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT is unavailable. METHODS: All patients with biochemically proven hyperparathyroidism who underwent both pinhole Tc-99m sestamibi and Tc-99m pertechnetate scintigraphy between January 2012 and December 2017 with surgery performed within 3 months of imaging were analyzed. Tc-99m sestamibi images alone and combined with Tc-99m pertechnetate images were interpreted by two nuclear medicine physicians. The sensitivity and PPV of the two imaging approaches were determined based on the surgical findings. RESULTS: Of the 38 patients included, surgery revealed 33 single parathyroid adenomas (PA), one double adenoma and four parathyroid hyperplasia (PH). On a per-patient basis, the sensitivity and PPV for detection of PA or PH were 76% and 100%, respectively, with Tc-99m sestamibi alone vs 84% and 100% using the combined approach. For PA, the sensitivity and PPV were 82% and 100%, respectively, with Tc-99m sestamibi alone vs. 91% and 100% with the combined approach. PH was identified in only one of four patients with Tc-99m sestamibi alone or in combination. There were no significant differences in sensitivity (P = 0.08) and PPV (P > 0.99) between Tc-99m sestamibi alone and Tc-99m sestamibi with Tc-99m pertechnetate. CONCLUSION: Pinhole dual-phase Tc-99m sestamibi alone has high accuracy in the detection of PA. The routine addition of Tc-99m pertechnetate to Tc-99m sestamibi does not result in significant improvement in the detection of PA or PH and should be reserved for equivocal cases.
